Many applications for using semiconductor devices are becoming increasingly smaller and lighter for enhanced portability. Common examples of such applications include small electronic devices such as cell phones, PDAs, and portable MP3 players. Conventional semiconductor device packages include a lead frame on which a semiconductor die is mounted. Wire bonds are coupled between the semiconductor die and leads of the lead frame. A resin material is molded to surround the die, wire bonds and lead frame while exposing electrical contacts to the lead frame to form a plastic package. In conventional packages, the molded resin is typically much thicker than the lead frame. Owing in part to the volume and thickness of the resin in these conventional packages, the resulting electronic device is larger and heavier than desired.
Additionally, the market for semiconductor devices is highly competitive. A portion of the cost of a semiconductor device is related to the amount of material present in the package. A package that uses less material can be more competitively priced than another package that uses more material.
There is a need for smaller, thinner and lighter packages for semiconductor devices. There is a further need for semiconductor device packages that use less material.